We need your ideas (please post a comment to this blog) and your financial support

As many of you have heard, Africa Action suffered a very serious financial setback in the past year. In August 2010, the Board of Directors discovered that faulty internal procedures had allowed one individual to steal funds from the organization.

The Africa Action board, which I chair, immediately took steps to investigate the theft, establish new internal procedures to assure we have control over the finances and work with our major donors to make sure that the critical projects Africa Action created and was supporting in Africa continue. This last point is particularly important because of the work you and I helped to support to establish the Zimbabwe Alliance as a collaboration of like minded partners working within a human rights framework to secure a democratic transition in that country.

Yet the crisis is very serious. We removed the one employee suspected of fraud and accepted the resignation of the Executive Director who shares with our board responsibility for the poor internal procedures that led to this theft. Because of the need to meet our responsibilities in Africa, we were also forced to lay off or accept the resignations of all of the other staff in the office in Washington, move with one desk and computer into a donated space and face the question some people ask: “isn’t it time to close permanently?”

Many people have urged that we find ways to keep going, because Africa Action is an organization with a long and important history that, working with many of you, has made a difference on key policy issues over many years.  

With your help, we may be able to turn this crisis into an opportunity. As the governors of the organization we have hired an outside accounting firm to conduct a forensic audit of the books and accounting procedures before December 31, 2010. We will post the 990 tax documents they prepare on our website so you can also be assured that the finances are in order. We have also instituted new policies to ensure stricter and more effective oversight.

Turning This Challenge Into Opportunity...

Our next step is to create a space in which the community of Africa Action supporters can discuss what future role this important organization should play. The board has appointed me as Acting Executive Director for the next year. We’ve already established a local advisory committee made up of individuals with a history of working with Africa Action and its predecessor organizations going back to the 1960s. Now we want to reach out to a broader group to start a discussion that focuses on:
  • Africa Action’s assets today (tens of thousands of supporters, a record of success that dates back 50 years, and a committed group of supporters):
  • A review of  the progressive Africa advocacy work being done in the United States today and what linkages there are to progressive groups in Africa; and
  • Identifying specific small next program steps that Africa Action could take to link progressives in the United States with progressives in Africa
I don’t assume that these exchanges will automatically lead to Africa Action continuing into the future with its current form and program.  But progressive past activities, including solidarity work with liberation movements during the struggle for independence from colonialism, and the extended battle against apartheid, ongoing mobilization of diverse constituents  in support of economic justice and human rights, and subsequent initiatives such as the framing of a compelling case for U.S. action on HIV/AIDS,  protecting human rights in Dafur and all Sudan, and our actions regarding  the political crisis in Zimbabwe have all helped open the space for progressive program and campaigning. We owe it to ourselves and our allies in Africa to investigate what work is most urgently needed now, what is possible, and what role Africa Action could take.

What We Need Immediately...

We anticipate that such a process will take about a year and we need finances to make that possible. We have enough money to finish the audit (read the fuller statement from the board on the finances) and keep a minimal bookkeeping staff focused on maintaining accurate and secure finances safe for the next two years. We’ve reduced Africa Actions expenditures down to a very small amount by moving to a smaller, donated office and drawing on the volunteer time and commitment of the board and people in the Washington, DC area.

Your ideas...

As a first step in the consultative process, we want to hear from you. We are open to all suggestions - your idea could help shape how Africa Action looks at the choices going forward. I hope you will consider posting a comment to this blog post. The blog process provides for a transparent public process (although I know some of you may prefer to make comments in private initially).  In the early part of next year, we plan to set up a forum for those interested in discussing strategic perspectives for the coming year and decade.

and Your Financial Support...

The consultative process I’ve outlined above does take funds and will take some staffing to coordinate. Will you contribute $35, $50, $500, $1000 or $5,000 to pay for this consultative process?

Any contribution you can make will be tremendously important.

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